Why don’t governments charge profiteers’ tax?
I am writing to ask us to consider why our government(s) have not instituted a ‘profiteers’ tax on those who are making huge amounts of money out of the miseries of our Ukrainian friends and families. Oil companies, armaments manufacturers and others are directly benefiting from the war on Ukraine and it is well past time we acted to remove those profits from their grasp.
The immense amounts of money being reaped in this bitter harvest could be used to ensure the safety and well-being of ordinary people in Canada and the Ukraine. In past efforts of this scale energy companies and manufacturers were expected to do their bit to support the cause of justice and peace, not award dividends and bonuses over the broken homes and bodies of people targeted by greed and the international maneuvers of empires and their satellites.
It is a topic that came up at a local “Freedom from War” meeting held at Duncan United Church last week.
“Why is this happening? Who benefits? What can be done?” someone asked.
“Follow the money,” someone replied, “it’s always about the money.”
Perhaps if we divert the money to the cause of peace and justice, we can follow it there too.
Keith Simmonds
Duncan